Trace Email

Trace Email Analyzer tool for email header

An average email user receives an estimate of 160 emails per day, recent studies show. As the influence of social media continue to expand, this volume is expected to further expand.

However, not all of these emails are related to the recipient’s social connections, work, or personal affiliations. Most of it are just spam messages sent out by anonymous sources.

Spam emails are adamant and persisting that some users may be tempted to find out the sources of these messages.

If you want to find out the source of such messages, it is possible to trace emails. Doing so will users the change the sources of the spam messaging to take preventive measures in the future. Getting one’s hands on the name or email addresses of the spam senders is a huge help in filtering out communications from these sources.

From unsolicited marketing, spamming has increased into security threats, phishing, and fraud. Many spams are not just sent out to advertise a certain product or service. Some are pretentious emails claiming to know the recipient and asking for their personal info or financial help.

Every communications made over the internet is logged in one way or another. Contrary to what some email providers may promise, anonymous email messaging can be cracked.

Harassment, blackmailing, and other threatening reasons behind anonymous emails are increasing that is why knowing how to trace an email is always a plus. More than just a fulfilment to one’s curiosity, it helps users maintain security and eliminate stress out of their online experience in the future.

The good news is, any person can now trace an email through fast and convenient ways. Finding out the person or address behind an unidentified message may sound a highly technical feat but this is no longer true nowadays.

There are dedicated websites and services which exists to help users uncover the culprits behind the spam, abusive messages, and misleading emails that they may receive.

How to Trace an Email

How exactly does one trace an email?

There are three basic ways in which a user can uncover the identity behind an unknown email. These are as follows:

Email IP Tracing

Perhaps the easiest and most logical way that users resort to tracing an email is to determine the IP source from which it comes from. Knowing the IP address of the sender lets the user know of their general locations and internet service providers. Although these details sound broad, it is enough starting point to trace an email. Most email tracing websites only need the IP of the sender to help them dig out the source.

Email Header Tracing

Headers appear to be just an accessory of an email message. However, headers are keys to tracing an email source. Through the email header, one can find out the IP address of the sender and along with it, other IP-related details.

Most websites or tools that help users trace an email also includes an option to find out the header of the message if the recipients are unable to locate it.

Email Address Tracing

People who have delved into email tracing or are finding ways on how to do so most probably heard of the term reverse email address lookup.

This process is quite simple: users just key in the email address in question, and a host of useful information pulls up. This information includes name, phone number, address, and in some cases, even the birth, marital, criminal, and other public records associated to the said address.

The Role of the Email Provider

One of the ways to trace an email is through the header message. Email providers play a major role in this part. Different email providers have different ways in which to trace an email header.

Are you using Gmail or Yahoo Mail? Did the message get sent to Outlook or Hotmail?

For Gmail users, the process of finding out an email header can be done in these three simple steps:

Open the message in question.

Navigate to the Down arrow located beside the Reply link and click.

Choose the Show Original option in order to open a new window where the full email headers can be found.

MAC Mail users can find out the headers through two simple steps:

Select the message.

Press Shift – Command – H. This allows the user to toggle the full headers of the email.

The Downside of Email Tracing

There are down sides to tracing an email through headers and IP addresses. The information revealed through IP address can be manipulated, masked, or changed through the use of proxy servers and other IP-concealing tools. Because of this, users should not bank all their hopes on the information acquired through IP tracing.

The same is true for email headers. When the sender conceals their identity through IP mask or change, the headers of the email will also mislead from tracing the correct source.

Why Tracing Email is Important

The first step to take action again spammers and abusive email senders is to find out its sources. Uncovering the persons or names behind the dubious emails will help users prevent communications from them in the future. It also stops these online menaces from creating more trouble in the internet.

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